When you go to a new gym, and you're experienced, it comes with a weird power dynamic. When you're new to BJJ and join a gym, everyone knows your place is at the bottom, so no big deal. Here is a tip to get past that power dynamics easily: walk into the new gym and pee in the middle of the mat, thus claiming your territory. Now the hierarchy is set and you can get back to training.

I actually had a brown belt visit my gym when I was 2 weeks into white belt, he never once tried a submission. He actually let me figure out some and submit him. He knows he's clearly way better and could easily submit me at any moment. Was really cool to experience that.

bein honest guys, there's so much ego in BJJ, not only students, but also the coaches...! I really like bjj, but there's so much hypocrisy

I left my gym after 12.5 years and moved to a new academy. The environment is so much better and relaxed. Tony is a purple belt who has been training just over two years and weighs About 160. I'm 235, black belt and this kid smokes me. I make sure I roll with him every day and get my ass kicked by him. No egos and all smiles

I have a white belt in my gym that can legitimately submit purple to black belts because he has a black belt in judo and 7 year plus experience in submission wrestling.

Chew Jitsu clearly has high emotional intelligence/people skills...which is pretty dope. He may take your sole away on the mat, but you’ll smile and thank him for it when he’s finished 😂

Great advice as usual Chewie. As an older guy with health issues, I agree 100% with slowing it down and focusing on having fun when you visit other gyms. The last thing I want is some 22yr old muscled dude wanting to take “that visiting black belt’s” head home as a trophy. If I’m gonna do BJJ until I die, I need to save the tough rolls for competition and with people I trust, rather than visit gyms and try to “prove” something. Besides, everyone has something to teach you. If you are visiting a gym and going balls out, you’ll likely miss out on whatever that lesson is because you’ll be too worried about showing off. Just my 0.02.

i think the ego thing is the difference between a bjj gym and a full mma gym. You can avoid being humbled as much in bjj because you can just be better than others so you develop an ego. But in mma you can do an hour of grappling and then its time to put on the pads. And if you were a dick earlier you can expect to get your clock cleaned because odds are you arent the best at everything. Also anything that incorporates a belt system automatically lends itself to people feeling superior to each other.

I rolled with a high level bb at Kron's academy a few summers back. He caught me in an armlock and I tapped. I caught him in a toe hold, but let it go. At the end of the roll, he knew I let it go, but was really cool about everything. Rolling in a new place can be odd. My instructor always told me to go as hard as the other guy. Was good advice then and now. Good video.

This guy is cool AF

A little foreplay before you shove it in there huh?

Hello sir, I have to say, you’re a true gentleman. I love your outlook on training and the way you explain things. I look forward to your videos and your point of view. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I’m a high level Japanese JJ instructor and student and I have a Shodan in judo. I have been training for 36 years. I did BJJ briefly in the early 90s and recently took it back up 14 months ago since it’s the weakest part of my overall fighting game. I have many back and neck injuries after being injured on 9/11 and am limited in what I can do but I do what I can when I roll. I found a good club near me with good coaches and people but again, I love your spirit and breakdowns.

As a wrestler first, then learned bjj, I felt like you learn way more going intense with that grit. I loved going against someone that should beat me in the beginning to eventually beat them.

I've never practiced BJJ, or much of any kind of grappling (Im 40 now..haha), but I am LOVING these videos! Great channel! Glad I randomly clicked on these videos! 😁

Great Insight on meeting new people at other gyms thanks for the video keep up the great work chew jitz!!!!

I like how you're so mindful of situations. It's hard for people to control their egos at times and be situationally aware. It shows a lot about your type of humanity. Thank you. That in itself is a true lesson in life. Lesson of the day :)

When you're visiting a gym you're a guest in their house. Be nice and go easy. So what if you get tapped, you're probably on vacation or traveling for work, why risk getting injured in a new town? If you're technical and friendly then you've already represented your gym well.

In short: leave the ego at the door. You are there to train, not "win"

Really enjoy all of your videos. Thank you so much for sharing. Wish I could train at your gym!

Starting in a new school. Really good advice on a beginners mindset also, thank you.

Damn dude. Respect. I wish i was nearer. I would love to learn from you. Ive stopped bjj totally cuz i cant find any calm environments to learn in here. Everyones the freaking hulk in green mode.

I really appreciate this video. I'm the father of a 10 yo boy who is just getting started in BJJ, and he only seems to know one speed: Balls out. He's much smaller than most kids his age, but he makes up for it in speed and intensity. This video really helped open my eyes on how to proceed when we are visiting a gym on their Open Mat days. Often times they will pair him up with adults in the class just to let him kind of go crazy, yet be under a protectful eye. This is always appreciated since he always wants to go hard and adult purple belts know how to protect themselves and yet let a small boy feel like he's accomplishing something. I was somewhat embarrassed when he had the opportunity to roll with boy much larger than him, but much less aggressive. Not everyone in the gym is looking to collect scalps, as you say. I will show him this video later today and maybe he will get it. Thanks again, Chewie!

Good video. When I visit different gyms and roll I always am respectful and say before every roll with a new guy that I'm ready to learn. Everyone has been pretty chill thus far.

Love your videos brother, excellent lessons. Keep them coming...

I’ve experienced the same thing. Now I diffuse the tension by thanking the color belt for letting me work my stuff and helping me learn. In reality, they probably were going easy on me and taking risks to expand their horizons. Or, maybe I’ve legit caught a few of them. Either way, I’ve found it beneficial to relieve the stress on their ego by attributing the subs to their having showed mercy on me rather than the possibility that they got caught by a newb.

Had a similar experience at a gym I visited. There was only 5 of us including my friend I brought, and I felt out the guys and just kept at their pace. Afterward, the blue belt thanked me for not just blasting him and we started nerding out, exchanging techniques. I feel that whole experience is what got me out of paying the drop-in fee lol. And I made some connections too so it ended really well.

Great explanation Chewy, I've always felt the same when visiting other gym and or meeting someone new. Never know who you'll see later down the road ;)

Chewy, You’ve inspired me to get into Ju Jitsu. Thanks a lot man! You’re the best source for information on KZfaq. Thanks and be well.

Rookie question here, but why is this guy still a blue belt then?

I used to visit BJJ classes all over the world. The reason was not to destroy guys, but to make sure the way I was training and the direction I was going in my training was correct and would get the job done. This was the main reason. I always took the chance to train at any new gym in any location. Special thanks to all the gyms for allowing me the chance to train with them and the welcoming feeling their gyms presented.

Yo chew your videos are some of the most relaxing videos I'm a beginner in the art and your advice is always is very perfect for my situation keep up the great work man

This is a GREAT video, especially for those coming from highschool or collegiate wrestling who dabbled with submissions on the offseasons and maybe didn't belt up as fast as surfer Sam.

Shit. The embarrassing scar on my butt is my go to introduction. Now I need to rethink my whole life.

That's his teacher mistake. He should wear an higher belt already. This thing of slowing promotions in order to collect low level medals sucks.

I love your attitude when you roll, that's the approach I took starting at a new school as a blue belt recently. It's a new school with all white belts except for one or two other blue belts, and I made it a point to not submit anyone my first couple days of class, just flowed, catch and release, let guys get some submissions on me, etc. One other new blue belt to the school did not take that approach, and now he's known as "that guy," while everyone else loves rolling with me, despite me now submitting them on the regular, because they know I won't hurt them, and they know I'll teach them when I can, and it's been a great time.

As always great advise!

Honestly I think the mentality of many BJJ practitioners you talked about today is wrong. I visited a gym last week, they welcomed us, the instructor told everyone we should be seen as part of the bjj family and thus we should treat each other with respect. My group went and introduced themselves to almost everyone. We started rolling and yes we did go for submissions and we did spar to win, but there was no bad blood at all. A really talented white belt from their group submitted 2 blue belts from our group multiple times. That's just humbling. You realize there's always someone better and I reminds us to never think to highly of ourselves. Everyone should leave there ego of the mat and the instructor should remind everyone present about how we go about meeting new people in the gym.

As a purple belt coming back after a five year layoff, I have had to tap to a lot of blue belts (especially in the first few weeks). As I record all my rolls, I have evidence to keep me humble. However, it is a part of the game. When I was at the top of my game as a purple belt, I remember when I used to tap out brown belts regularly. But, as they say, "The older I get, the better I was!"

Great take on this question!

That's good advise for lots of situations. Even starting a new job.

This guy sounds like Elliot Hulse. Great vid. Keep it on 💪

Good life advice in general: don't try to show one up from the get-got: establish a relationship, be fun... then push if you need to. Rule #1 of relatioships: always maintain (the other's) self-esteem.

Much Respect for this video. You are a wise instructor

Great advice Chewy, heart of bjj , humility, keep it playful

What about a vídeo of how to treat a guest ? I mean,for my work I travel and I been In a lot of academys for a just one day I'm a purple belt,44 years,and everybody is trying to kill me,from white to Brown,in every academy, I remember once in France people was holding a line resting and waiting to fight with me,and several times the instructors ,Browns or purple belt, use the old trick to make me fight wiht his heavy people while he's resting and come to kill me when I been almost dead. Always wiht respect and in cool way.but at 110%. I'm not complaining.

This concept of feeling things out sounds like it could fall under the “keep it playful” movement. You don’t always have to Incredible Hulk smash on people.

good advice Chew. thanks for the video

Such great advice

As a boxer. Build a good relationship with coaches from different gyms, and also their fighters. Say thank you after every sparring round and give sparring partners compliments. Leave your ego at the door and show lots of respect. You can spar at any gym and have no problems with this mentality.

I'm having this exact problem only it's at my own gym. When I match partners and roll hard they're pissed. When I just defend they get pissed. Catch and release, pissed. I'm a blue belt and I'm fortunate enough to be able train several times a day. I honestly don't know what to do about it...

Great advice!

What size is the guy? A guy at our gym does the same thing but he is 6'5" and 230lbs muscle cranks everything. Also I am blue and when I go to other gyms I play a game of let them attack as to watch what their school does, defend for a while then, if they are moving nice and easy I will do flow with them. Most of the time I played defense because I don't trust new schools, and I'm keeping myself from becoming injured. And if they start being malicious I will pick it up and show them that I'm just playing around. Not to be mistaken with being cocky I just like to play around a lot. It is funny that when they are being super aggressive they leave lots of holes.

I had a pal that boxed and its worse in boxing gyms He got ringed with a guy that had 100 fights under his belts in his first tournament

I really have grown to like these talks. This hits at something I’ve seen. I’ve commented before about my pride and joy my son Gabriel. He’s a tough kid and just a solid wrestler overcoming his difficulties with autism to excel in wrestling. He’s a blue belt in BJJ and can submit quite a few purple belts, but that’s almost entirely due to his wrestling. If we go to other gyms it’s so hard for him to get along with guys because he’s all go on the mat. Add in his socializing challenges and it’s hard for guy to accept him. This question really hit me.

Man, I wish you were in Texas. I’m searching for a gym and I really dig your style. Great videos, thanks for sharing your experience.

As a small guy, I never get why people get frustrated about getting tap or flow rolling at other gyms. I always learn way more in defeat then I learn in winning.

I would be very interested in rolling with this Blue Belt to see what the other people are being upset over. In a way where I trained we had a situation that would make it very difficult for a Blue Belt from another school to come in and surprise us with how good they were. The situation we had was a Blue Belt that had moved to an area where there was not a BJJ place that was really convinent for him and he didn't have time to travel, but he found a Brown and Purple Belt (brothers) who didn't have a Black Belt they were 'under' to handle promotions. Well a Purple can't promote and neither can a Brown. But they can sure as hell teach someone who is a 'new Blue belt' which at the time he found them he was. So he trained like that for six freaking years. now according to how bjj works he was not sandbagging because there was no one to promote him so he was in a technical sense still a Blue Belt but his ability was more on the order of an experienced Purple.

Love your videos thanks man

Great advice especially for young guys!

Some school “hold over” and have blue belts for 5 years so that they can win in competitions, true story...

Hence while I’m perfectly ok with being a lifetime white belt

Its good to go back over some of this wisdom tbh bro. Its like a scroll archive or somethin

Very good points in any martial arts gym you visit. I always say be humble but match the energy and intensity of your workout partner. Gym etiquette is a crucial aspect of personal progression.

Yea when traveling i got my elbow destroyed from this try hard getting ready for a mma fight. Have to have a 2nd surgery now no bjj in 2 years. Know this shit happens.

Plz deep half guard

I always tune in Chewy. Good to know. Thanks.

well articulated and very thoughtful.

doesnt that mean maybe he should be a higher belt?

Why is there a belt order anyway? There are no belts in wrestling, you can either out wrestle other people or not.

Great insight!

Great advise for the gym and life in general. I gotta say thank you again. You are like my joy-jitsu priest. Lol. Seriously though. Thanks a lot man. So much help😎👊

Me: Oh cool, this Hoice Gracee guy's stuff looks legit! *walks into gym* **Every blue, purple, brown and black belt smashes me day 1, I'm the only white belt** I-I'll get good soon, right guys?

3:08 scar on the butt lol I actually got one.

Love the channel

I'm from the east coast, recently visited San Diego, and decided to visit a gym simply because i have never done anything like that before. it went exactly like the second example and it was an overwhelmingly positive experience. I would love to visit again and would like to think I'd be welcomed back.

Sweet.. I just got my blue and still get handled by white belts. Keep me on your radar!

Anyone ever belt themselves down when travelling?

Never trained a day in my life, but very solid advice. It will work in many aspects of life.

Experienced logic and wisdom. Solid advice for anyone👍

Sounds like he has only 2 speeds: 100% or obvious sandbagging. That is probably why he is still a blue belt.

Short answer: wear a purple belt.

Thanks Chewy. I’ve been watching your videos for a while and it’s a first time I comment. I haven’t done BJJ for many years, but I used to be a pretty good blue belt. My guess, is that now I am a pretty weak blue belt :) First, let me tell you why I like you and your channel. (I am a self confessed internet troll/hater, so saying something positive seems almost unnatural. Hope that my genuine compliment of your channel makes it more valuable ))) 1) I like the fact that you are not just a BJJ trainer, but also have an MMA and wrestling background. I have trained a little in both. 2) Over training years, I have always strived to learn from the best in the world. I was lucky enough to have trained a bit with some world class fighters in various martial arts. As you surely know, the best fighter does not necessarily translate into a great instructor. There is some overlap, but it’s not a direct positive correlation. I have to say, that your explanations of “grey” areas in martial arts is truly world class stuff. You put it down clearly and I like how you break it down into small details. I agree with most of the things that you say and can relate to many of them. I have a problem with visiting new martial arts gyms, especially if it involves striking, because I am far from an average student. 1) I am only about 73kg, but people say that I am pretty strong for my size. 2) Saying how long I have done something is a bad indication of my level, because I have some very pronounced strengths and weaknesses. It is pretty hard to fit into a new club being me. I generally find that the better the instructor is, the easier it is for me to fit in. If they can just easily wipe the floor with me, then they don’t feel that their ego is threatened. 3) I know lots of techniques and strategies, but also have big gaps in my knowledge of both the technical and cultural aspects of training. 4) The big issue is that my cardio and energy levels are way below my skills and strength. So, if I was to compete properly, I would be at a beginner level in pretty much everything. However, until I spend these few minutes and get exhausted, I can be a serious challenge for people of much high caliber than me. Sometimes even for people closer to an instructor kind of level. Not sure what to do about it. On one hand, my cardio will not improve for health reasons. So my overall performance will always stay closer to a beginner level, no matter what I do. But my skills, strength and determination to win are of much higher level. It’s not something I want to hide and I doubt that that I could, even if I wanted to. 5) I know that generally it makes sense to play around for a long time and improve that way. Don’t think this approach is that good for me. After playing around for a little, all my energy is gone. So I may as well pack my bag and go home. I just don’t have the energy to stay active on the mats for a long time. That’s basically why I quit. If I really want to make the best of my abilities and possibly improve a bit, then my approach should be “kill or be killed quick”. The techniques that I drill should also take that into consideration. Accumulating lots of mat time is too late for me. I never caused anyone any serious injuries, but since I don’t have the energy to relax and just go with the flow, my fighting style relies a lot on strength and is a bit rough. So, what should my approach be when rolling/sparring with new people/instructors?

I love your Channel chewy

My only question is does he have some other grappling experience? I don't get how a blue belt can beat a black belt....

Probably Nicky Ryan

I'm probably one of the most laxed/easy going/lazy purple belts out there. Every time I roll at a new gym or a new person I pretty much let them have their way with me. Of course I'm making sure I don't get hurt, but besides that pass my guard, take me down and I'll defend the submission to the best I can but will tap early if I feel I'm in danger. And usually people can tell that I'm there to have fun and learn something new. Great Video!

Good advice.

Here’s an idea. PROMOTE HIM...Jesus Christ

Bob is a “sandbagger” and while he has zero control over his belt color, he has control over choosing to ignore the obvious issue while seeking out someone on the Internet to help him feel okay that’s he’s actually not a blue belt. Boohoo.

Really like you, dude. Very positive and informative. #subbed

Solid attitude bro

I'm a Street beefs fighter I just got into BJJ your videos are awesome and super helpful

Your showing respect!

I can tell my son to do catch and release to not hurt any feelings initially! And like you said if they step it up, then you step it up with the pressure! 👍🏾

Couldn’t agree more. It’s how I got my arm broken. Now I’m super careful. Feel things out. Go slow. Check the ego.

I had a truncated training pattern due to personal issues and although I started a couple of years or so back if you squished the lessons together it'd likely be 6 months of training, the place I'm training at now my instructor says he gets tapped by some of the high level blue belts sometimes but has no ego over it and he's very good he competes and medals at big world comps. So if he can shrug it off and learn from it everyone should be able to do that in my opinion.

One of the really nice things about going from being a collegiate wrestler into bjj is that I already understand this stuff really well. With all the practicing that you do in college with the multiple practices, you can't afford to "go live" like you do in high school wrestling everyday, and the big thing that really pisses off all the upperclassmen about the freshmen is that they just don't truly understand how to "spar" or go "50/50" and focus on the technique without grinding your body into dust. Don't get me wrong, like you said in the video, you definitely have your hard practices where you go all out, but a lot of the time you have to be able to focus on your technique without killing each other. I truly think that the ability to do this is really what separates good grapplers from mediocre: the ability to allow your *partner* (NOT YOU YOURSELF!) to perform, practice, and improve technique without you being a "wet fish" and without giving them completely full resistance. You want to get the technical benefits for feeling like your techniques are being performed in a live environment, but at the same time be easy on your body. I'm 30 years old. That's not crazy old, but I can tell you that its old enough that I'm not going to get out on the mat and roll 100% every fucking time. It has nothing to do with me not knowing bjj, and everything to do with I'm not trying to do this to kill myself or anyone else. This is just supposed to be fun, learn something new, and only then, after those first two criteria are met, compete. And this goes for true competitors as well. I totally respect the Dan Gables of the world who work their asses off every fucking day, but I respectfully disagree based on the fact that I don't want to have to replace both of my hips before i'm 50 years old. I truly believe that, in this situation, you really can have your cake and eat it.

This exact same thing happens in the pool community, long time pool players find it disrespectful if you show up and just sink ball after ball without trying to hang out or get to know anyone. It was a humbling experience.

Great response. I might add a little. I’m a little older and have dealt with this really well. If you are going to another gym to see if your way is better or you want to prove your way is better, you will be met with attitude and force. If you simple want to workout... get some cardio...work on some weak points, positioning, etc then do just that. Be cool. Be super respectful. You might do well to let them control you a little or even “dare I say” submit a few times... especially to those higher in the pecking order...and (I know it doesn’t seem to make sense) to the guy that really has attitude and wants to ball you. When everyone thinks you are the cool guy and not a threat, it is then you can go harder and harder. Remember the story about the 2 bulls on the hill looking at all the cows below?

Gr8 answer man and I find it very logical for me since I really can not go hard on people I do not know even if they are lower in rank, I just find it very disrespectful to go 100% with someone you just met.